Q: Does the metals industry support metal recycling

1
Atherton 2007 Declaration by the Metals Industry
on Recycling Principles
Q Does the metals industry support metal
recycling?
A Yes, metal recycling has environmental,
economic and social value.
Q Do metals typically have limited recycling
potential?
A No, they can be recycled over and over again.
Q Is there oversupply or undersupply of metal
scrap?
A Undersupply, due to growing metal demand and
long product lifetimes.
Q Does the metals industry think specifying
recycled content is useful?
A For materials that would otherwise be
incinerated or landfilled.
Q Does the metals industry think specifying
recycled metal content is useful?
A No, it may create market distortions and
inefficiencies.
Q Where do the market distortions and
inefficiencies come from?
A Redirecting recycled feedstock and unnecessary
transportation.
Q What should life cycle management of steel
focus on instead?
A End-of-life recycling.
Q Why is that article in the International
Journal of LCA?
A Its statements have a big impact on how
recycling should be modeled in LCAs.
2
Global crude steel production (in MMT)
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
3
Global crude steel production (in MMT)
1200
1000
800
600
Scrap 640 generated
400
100 consumed
200
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
4
GHG emissions of virgin and recycled material
production (Kg CO2eq / kg)
Source EPA (2006) Solid Waste Management and
Greenhouse Gases A Life-Cycle Assessment of
Emissions and Sinks, EPA 530-R-06-004
5
Energy savings from reuse and recycling of some
metals and products
6
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
Before change
1
1
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Existing Scrap market
Scrapmarket
Secondaryproduction
Collection
D100
S100
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
100
100
7
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
Scrap supply increases
0
1
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Scrapmarket
Secondaryproduction
Collection
D100
S100
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
100
100
8
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
Scrap supply increases
0
1
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Collection
Scrap use increases
?X1
Scrapmarket
Secondaryproduction
Collection
S100
D100.6
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
99.4
100
Increasing end-of-life recycling of product A by
one unit

• displaces 0.6 units of primary material

9
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
Scrap supply increases
0
1
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Collection
Scrap use increases
?X1
Scrapmarket
Scrap supply decreases
Secondaryproduction
Collection
D100.6
S99.6
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
99.4
100.4
Increasing end-of-life recycling of product A by
one unit

• displaces 0.6 units of primary material

• displaces 0.4 units of other scrap

10
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
After change
0
1
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Collection
?X1
Scrapmarket

• Additional scrap can
• increase recycling
• decrease collection

Secondaryproduction
Collection
D100.6
S99.6
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
99.4
100.4
11
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
Before change
1
1
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Existing Scrap market
Scrapmarket
Secondaryproduction
Collection
D100
S100
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
100
100
12
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
Scrap demand increases
1
0
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Scrapmarket
Secondaryproduction
Collection
D100
S100
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
100
100
13
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
Scrap use increases
1
0
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Secondaryproduction
Scrap supply increases
?X 1
Scrapmarket
Secondaryproduction
Collection
D100
S100.4
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
99.6
100
Increasing recycled content of product A by one
unit

• increases scrap collection by 0.4 units

14
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
Scrap demand increases
1
0
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Secondaryproduction
Scrap supply increases
?X 1
Scrapmarket
Scrap use decreases
Secondaryproduction
Collection
D99.4
S100.4
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
100.6
99.6
Increasing recycled content of product A by one
unit

• increases primary production by 0.6 units

• increases scrap collection by 0.4 units

15
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
After change
1
0
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Secondaryproduction
?X 1
Scrapmarket
Secondaryproduction
Collection
D99.4
S100.4
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
100.6
99.6
16
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
1
0
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Use A 1 unit
Scrap market clears
Secondaryproduction
?X 1
But to what extent does increased scrap use
Scrapmarket
Secondaryproduction
Collection
increase supply
?D?
?S?
or decrease scrap collection?
Primaryproduction
Disposal
Other uses 200 units
One approach is to use price elasticity of demand
and price elasticity of supply
Source Ekvall T, Resources Conservation
Recycling 2000, 29, 91-109
17
A consequential assessment of open-loop recycling
Changes in scrap flow change scrap price, a
changed scrap price changes scrap flows
Scrap market clears
18
Some elasticities from literature
Predicted change in scrap demand ?D supply ?S
Source Palmer K, Sigman H, Walls M, J Environ
Econ Mngmnt 1997, 33, 128-150
19
Some Notes on Eco-labels
There are 3 types of eco-labels
Type 1 Voluntary, multiple-criteria based third
party program that awards a license which
authorizes the use of environmental labels on
products indicating overallenvironmental
preferability of a products within a particular
product category basedon life cycle
considerations. ISO 140241999
Type 2 Self-declared environmental claims. ISO
140211999
Type 3 Environmental product declaration (EPD).
Quantified environmental data for a product with
pre-set categories of parameters set by a
qualified third party, based on the ISO14040
series of standards (LCA), and verified by a
qualified third party. ISO/TR 140252000
20
Electronic product environmental assessment tool
(IEEE)
Appliances, buildings, etc. (EPA and DOE)
Forest Stewardship Council
Environmental Choice Ecologo (Canadian Government)
Environmental Choice (Australia)
21
Eco Flower (European Commission DG Environment )
Nordic swan (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark,
Iceland)
Blue Angel (Germany, Federal Environment Agency)
Eco Mark (Japan)
http//www.globalecolabelling.net
22
Terms commonly used in self-declared
environmental claims

• Compostable
• Degradable/biodegradable
• Reduced energy consumption / resource use /
  water consumption
• Recyclable
• Recycled content/material (pre-consumer,
  post-consumer)
• Reusable/refillable
• Waste reduction

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
definition Biodegradable plastic a degradable
plastic in which the degradation results from
the action of naturally occurring microorganisms
such as bacteria, fungi and algae.
23

• European Standard for biodegradability is EN
  13432 (2000)
• Biodegradation (conversion into CO2 by
  microorganisms) over 90 compared with
  cellulose in 6 months under conditions of
  controlled composting using respirometric
  methods (ISO14855)
• Disintegration (fragmentation and loss of
  visibility) over 90 in 3 months (ISO FDIS
  16929)
• Ecotoxicity test results from aquatic and
  terrestrial organisms (Daphnia magna,
  worm test, germination test) as for reference
  compost
• Absence of hazardous chemicals (included in the
  reference list)

24
Speaker Monday, April 27, 1100-1215,
BH1424 Jill Dumain Director Environmental
Analysis, Patagonia Inc. Reading for Monday,
April 27 Chouinard Y, Brown M (1997) Going
Organic, JIE 1(1) Posted on course website as
Chouinard Brown 1997